February 13th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker is pleased to announce that on February 10th, the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office Division of Communications was recognized by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) for demonstrating commitment to protecting children, by completing the necessary requirements to become a Missing Kids Readiness Project Member.

The Division of Communications is now one of 259 agencies in the United States who have achieved this status and the fifth agency in the State of Iowa. The NCMEC Missing Kids Readiness Project promotes best practices for responding to calls of missing, abducted and sexually exploited children.

Criteria necessary to receive the recognition and other information, is available on the website http://www.missingkids.org/MKRP

February 13th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s reports reports several arrests over the past few days. Late Sunday night, 36-year old Andrew Walter Dodge, of Omaha, was arrested for Public Intoxication, following a disturbance at Fred’s Bar, in Avoca. When Dodge was asked to leave the establishment, he refused to so, and was escorted out of the business by bar patrons, who then locked the doors. When Dodge tried to get back in, he nearly broke the door. He was arrested on the Public Intox. charge at around 11:15-p.m., Sunday.

Sunday afternoon, 64-year old Roland Duane Smith, of Panama, was arrested near Minden, after a Deputy ran the license plate on Smith’s pickup truck. A records check indicated Smith had a warrant out of Panama, for Forgery. He was transported to the Pott. County Jail and held on a $2,000 bond.

Early Sunday morning, 25-year old Brandon Lechaun Dinovo, of Council Bluffs, was cited into court for Interference with Official Acts, following a physical disturbance. And, 39-year old Clinton John Gardner, of Oakland, was arrested at around 1-a.m. Sunday, for OWI/3rd offense, following a traffic stop in Oakland, for having a defective muffler.

Saturday night, 41-year old Kevin Andrew Daub, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for OWI/1st offense and carrying a concealed weapon (A gun), following a traffic stop for speeding just north of Crescent. Saturday evening, 30-year old Jonathan Daniel Kunze, of Underwood, was arrested in Pottawattamie County, after he was pulled over for traveling at a high rate of speed. Kunze was arrested for OWI/1st offense, Possession of a Controlled Substance (174.5 grams of marijuana), and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Early Saturday morning, 49-year old Robin Lynn Stander, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Public Intoxication, following a disturbance at a residence. And, late Friday night, 53-year old Richard Nelson Steiner, of Macedonia, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, after failing to stop at a controlled intersection at Highway 59 and Aspen Road.

February 13th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

Sheriff’s officials in Union County say a man from Lorimor suffered serious/incapacitating injuries and was flown by Life Flight helicopter to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, following a rollover accident early Saturday morning. 48-year old David Patrick Love, of Lorimor, was traveling east on Rea Road a little after midnight, Saturday. As he came to the intersection and curve with Strawberry Lane, he failed to negotiate the curve, causing the 2011 Dodge Caravan he was driving to cross the center triangle ditch.

The van then ramped over Strawberry Lane and entered the east ditch before impacting the ditch and rolling onto the drivers side. Love, who was not wearing a seat belt, was partially ejected from the vehicle through the windshield, and had to be extricated by mechanical means. Damage from the crash amounted to $9,000.

February 13th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has released its first report on hepatitis C infection in Iowa. Hepatitis C is the leading cause of liver cancer and liver transplants in the U.S. A comparison of data from 2000 to 2015 shows the number of Iowans diagnosed with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection increased nearly three-fold, from 754 cases in 2000 to 2,235 cases in 2015.

The number of HCV diagnoses among those between the ages of 18 and 30 has more than quadrupled since 2009, with 303 diagnoses in 2015. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most people with HCV infection don’t have any symptoms and therefore are not tested or diagnosed. Because of this, the number of Americans and Iowans who are infected with hepatitis C is likely much higher than the report indicates.

According to Randy Mayer, Chief of the IDPH Bureau of HIV, STD, and Hepatitis, the increase in diagnoses is expected and is a positive sign. “These data indicate that Iowans are getting tested and referred to treatment by their medical providers. Everyone born between 1945 and 1965 and anyone who has ever injected non-prescription drugs, even once, should be tested for hepatitis C.”

The majority (63 percent) of Iowans reported with HCV were between the ages of 45 and 64. This mirrors national data, and has prompted the CDC to recommend anyone born between 1945 and 1965 talk to their doctor about being tested for Hepatitis C.

CDC also recommends testing for HCV if:
You ever injected non-prescription drugs, even if you injected only one time or many years ago.
You were treated for a blood clotting problem before 1987.
You received a blood transfusion or organ transplant before July 1992.
You are on long-term hemodialysis treatment.
You have abnormal liver tests or liver disease.
You work in health care or public safety and were exposed to blood through a needlestick or other sharp object injury.
You are infected with HIV.

Over 55 percent of Iowans between the ages 18 and 64 who have HCV live in one of six counties: Polk, Linn, Scott, Woodbury, Pottawattamie, and Black Hawk.

Hepatitis C is a liver infection; today, most people become infected with the Hepatitis C virus by sharing needles or other equipment to inject drugs. For some people, hepatitis C is a short-term illness, but for 70 to 85 percent of people who become infected with hepatitis C, it becomes a long-term, chronic infection. Chronic hepatitis C is a serious disease than can result in long-term health problems, even death. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C; however, there are highly effective and curative treatments available for hepatitis C with few of the side effects that previous medications had. The best way to prevent hepatitis C is by avoiding behaviors that can spread the disease, especially injecting drugs.

February 13th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports five arrests over the past week. At around 8-a.m. on Feb. 6th, an Iowa State Patrol Trooper stopped a vehicle on eastbound Interstate 80 at mile marker 81 in Adair County. As he spoke with 22-year old Raymond Wylie Smith, of Washington, MO., the Trooper noticed what appeared to be a large bud of marijuana in the center console of the vehicle. Smith confirmed the Trooper’s suspicions, and a K9 search of the vehicle was conducted, which resulted in the recovery of additional substances believed to be marijuana, along with numerous pieces of drug paraphernalia. Smith was taken into custody for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was later released from the Adair County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

46-year old Charles Ray Balius, of Creston, was arrested in Adair County Friday night, following a traffic stop at the intersection of 180th Street and Highway 25. He was taken into custody for OWI/3rd offense, open container of alcohol in a vehicle, and Driving While License Revoked for OWI Test Refusal. Balius was later released on $5,000 bond.

Saturday morning, 22-year old Dain Elise Saxton, of Leon, was arrested on an Adair County warrant for Harassment in the 3rd Degree. She was later released on $300 bond. Saturday afternoon, 38-year old Brandon Eugene Rudolf, of Leon, was arrested in Greenfield, for Driving While License Suspended. And, 38-year old Michael Ross Waddingham, of Orient, was arrested in Orient, for Driving While Barred. He was later released on a $2,000 bond.

February 13th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

February 13th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

Police in Creston report seven people were arrested on separate charges during the period spanning Friday through Sunday. Sunday night, 35-year old Nicholas Giesken, and 39-year old Stephanie Giesken, both of Creston, were arrested for Interference with Official Acts and Violation of a Protective Order. Stephanie Giesken was being held in the Ringgold County Jail while awaiting a bond hearing. Nicholas Giesken was being held in the Union County Jail, also awaiting a bond hearing.

Early Sunday morning, 26-year old James Randolph, of Columbus, OH, and 28-year old Joshua Palmer, of Creston, were arrested in Creston. Both were charged with Disorderly Conduct, Public Intoxication and Interference with Official Acts. Both men were later released on $300 bond, each.

Friday night, 33-year old Clay Pettit, of Creston, was arrested for Domestic Assault. He was later released on $300 bond. 27-year old Kyle Hoadley, and 26-year old Kristen Oliphant, both of Creston, were arrested Friday night on Trespass charges. Both were cited and then released on a Promise to Appear in Court.

February 13th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

After the massive Missouri River flooding of 2011, plans were made to install a better system for monitoring heavy rain and run-off from snowpack to more accurately predict pending floods. Jody Farhat, Omaha division chief of the U-S Army Corps of Engineers, says a better, real-time reporting system was designed — but still hasn’t been built.

“There was authorization in 2014 to install a monitoring system for those aspects, the soil moisture and the snowpack,” Farhat says. “That has not been funded at this time but we’re hoping to get started on the process this year.” Farhat says other improvements have been made to the reporting system in the past six years. “We are working much more closely with the states and we also have set up a network of observers to give us snowpack measurements during the winter,” Farhat says. “We are getting better information this year that’s being fed into the NOAA products. I do think we have a better handle on it than we did in 2011.”

Farhat says despite above-normal snowpack this winter, it doesn’t compare to that of 2011. “Even though we have an area of high plains snowpack right now in North Dakota and in north-central South Dakota, it’s smaller in area and extent than it was in 2011 at the peak and it peaked in late February in 2011. Also, the mountain snowpack is tracking pretty close to normal.”

The Corps is predicting above-normal run-off into the Missouri River reservoir system for February through April. Farhat says they have “adequate” flood storage available behind the six mainstream dams.

February 13th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The University of Iowa is tightening the rules for incoming out-of-state students seeking in-state residency after beginning their studies. Officials say a record 317 part-time freshmen enrolled at the university for fall 2016. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that many of those nonresidents weren’t taking enough credit hours to trigger the higher, full-time tuition.

Out-of-state students who want to become residents must live in Iowa for at least a 12-month period and prove they moved to Iowa primarily for reasons other than higher education. The nonresident students previously had to show that they worked an average of 20 hours a week for those 12 months. Under the tighter rules, students enrolling after May 1 will have to show they’re working an average of at least 30 hours a week.